Hour 19
Sarah was the first to awaken. She was so calm and comfortable, that she rustled the covers with her feet before opening her eyes. As she did so she felt two things: her chain move, and another foot tap against hers. Her eyes sprang open and she sat up so quickly it made her dizzy.
"You slept next to me?!"
The Goblin King's eyes opened slowly. He allowed them to adjust before focusing on Sarah. With no hint of grogginess in his voice he responded, "Did you expect me to sleep on the ground?" One eyebrow was cocked, eagerly awaiting her response. If this was the morning's game, he was finally going to win something.
"I expected to you at least ask."
"Should I have asked before I moved you to the bed? You would have awoken with a mighty pain."
"I….yes." She couldn't meet his gaze, though.
Jareth tilted his head back and smiled. Victory.
Sarah sighed, I don't have time for this. She began combing her hair through her fingers. Wait, I have all the time in the world. She sighed again.
"You're very dramatic this morning."
"Well, you…"
Sarah paused and tilted her head. "Do you hear that?... Helen?"
Good old Helen was shuffling down the tunnel at a rapid pace. Her wizened face, usually smiling, was folded into a look of concern.
"You there!" Jareth once again became the Goblin king. "How dare you defy my orders? I told you explicitly…"
"Of course, of course your highness. You told me not to disturb you when you were with Sarah unless your father arrived."
Jareth paled but remained composed. "And has that happened?"
"Has what happened?"
"Has my father arrived, you fool?!" He hissed.
Sarah watched the exchange as her chest tightened. She would normally have jumped to Helen's defense, but she understood why Jareth would snap at the goblin, given the situation.
Helen, unflappable as always, nodded slowly. "Yes, yes, he's in your castle looking for you now."
"Well go!" Jareth used his whole arm to point to the trap door. "Stall him! Tell him I'm visiting the fey to the west."
Helen nodded. "Of course." She turned to Sarah and her face crinkled into a smile. "How are you dear?"
"GO!" Jareth's voice echoed through the oubliette.
Helen once again nodded and shuffled back in the direction she had come from. Sarah watched her go, but did not really register what she was seeing. Her mind raced through the possibilities. Should I let Jareth go to take care of it? Will he let me go if I do that? Probably not. Wil his father believe that he is away? Maybe it will sort itself out. Yes, maybe he will go away and I can finally convince him to let me go. Maybe…
Her thoughts were interrupted by a click followed by a touch on her ankle. She looked down to see Jareth kneeling by her feet, her opened shackle in his hands.
"You must go." Was all he said. There was no mischief in his eyes this time. In fact, he looked sad and frightened. The expression made him look younger in its uncertainty.
He stood up, his face so close to hers that she could feel his breath. With a wrist flick, he brought his pointer finger to her forehead.
The world around her began to melt away. It started at the corners of her vision, the colors of the oubliette blurred together. The blurriness swirled and ate further into her line of sight until it began to affect Jareth's face. The last things she saw before darkness took over were the Goblin King's mismatched eyes.
Sarah woke with a start. It felt like she had been sleeping for hours. The large spot of drool on her desk confirmed this. Desk?
Sure enough, she was still in her classroom. The light was fully flowing through her window, the sun already facing the school building. It has to be at least 4! What was I thinking? Mark is going to wonder where I have been.
She unceremoniously tossed her laptop and ungraded assignments into her bag. Looking at her phone, she ran out the door. Sure enough, Mark had left several texts asking when she would be home.
She tapped out a, "sorry, on my way," before walking out of the building.
Even though she had napped at school, Sarah wondered at her exhaustion as she unlocked her apartment door. I just want to watch Netflix and eat something microwavable, she thought, pushing past the door. She smiled and allowed her body to relax. Looks like someone beat me to it.
Sitting on the couch was her fiancé. His feet were propped on the coffee table and a laptop rested on his legs. The Scrubs theme song emitted from the speakers.
"Hey babe! Ice cream?" He held up a carton and spoon.
"That sounds great." She allowed herself to fall onto the couch, and was surprised by how comfortable it was. She gripped the arm for a second, wondering if it would go away.
As she was settling in, Mark rested his hand on top of hers. It lingered there for a second when he suddenly turned to her.
"Babe? Where is your ring?"
Without stopping to think she blurted out, "It's under the pillow on the cot."
She froze. He froze. While he was trying to figure out if she was confessing to cheating on him, she was starting to pull memories into place. At first it was as if she were collecting pieces of a dream from her childhood, but soon the fragments solidified into actual memories. The times line laid itself before her, ending the Jareth still trapped in the oubliette.
"Fuck!"